Year of the Patriot: Gardens

[bjrogg]

Love watching the watermelons grow. This one went from tiny pollinated blossom to about a foot long melon in 8 days. It’s still growing
Bjrogg

First picture 8 days ago

Second last night

[bjrogg]

Lots of white mold showing up in bean fields around here now. I’m hoping that our wider row spacing and fungicide applications will help control it. It won’t eliminate it. It’s been like a jungle here since beginning of July. Lots of fungus growing here with heavy dews and more than adequate rainfall.

The spores get in the plants through the blossoms. Then they spread over entire plant if conditions permit. Here you can see where blossom was infected. The stem of pod is dead and rotting. The white mold is growing on surface of stem. In the conditions we have now this mold can spread rapidly. I’m hoping for a few hot dry days but not really in the forecast.

Our beautiful bean field could end up being a total train wreck. Nothing I can do about it now. Up to the good lord.

Bjrogg

Here is the first symptoms of white mold. The spores were present weeks ago. The plants have been exposed. The environment is ideal for it to spread and grow. Hopefully we have adequate control.
I’m really nervous though. I know what this disease can do.

Bjrogg

[osage outlaw]

BJ, I'm dealing with that on my pumpkins.   They are slowly dying off.  I've applied neem oil and whole milk mixed 50/50 with water.  Those are two recommendations from other pumpkin farmers. 

You are right about the tomato seeds.  The human body does not break them down.  Anytime you have a sewer or sludge spill tomatoes will sprout up. 

[bjrogg]

Yeah Clint. There are several fungal diseases that thrive in this area. Most have really long scientific names. It helps to know exactly which ones you are dealing with. They have different “life cycles “ and environmental conditions they actively grow in. The white mold I described thrives in cooler temperatures. From about 50 for lows with heavy dews to about 75 for highs with adequate rainfall.  It actually doesn’t like temperatures above 85. Not say it can’t survive above 85 but it doesn’t spread and thrive like it does with those conditions.

Around here the powdery mildew usually gets the pumpkins way before the frost does. I have heard of the soap trick before. One of the products used here for white mold is actually peroxide. It is not extremely effective. It is more of a try to control it after it is actively growing. It needs to come in contact with the mold and when the canopy is dense, it’s hard to penetrate it and get product where it’s needed.

Most of the products I use are considered preventatives. They help protect and slow the spread. They are very short lived products that offer limited protection but hopefully control disease long enough to get to maturity. The timing of application is very important.

The soap might be both preventative and curative. I’m not sure. Do they recommend a certain time to apply? Or a “strategy “.


Bjrogg

PS we have still been getting rain every day, but the temperatures have gotten into the 80’s. Hopefully Mother Nature slows this disease down for us.

[Marc St Louis]

Lots of white mold showing up in bean fields around here now. I’m hoping that our wider row spacing and fungicide applications will help control it. It won’t eliminate it. It’s been like a jungle here since beginning of July. Lots of fungus growing here with heavy dews and more than adequate rainfall.

The spores get in the plants through the blossoms. Then they spread over entire plant if conditions permit. Here you can see where blossom was infected. The stem of pod is dead and rotting. The white mold is growing on surface of stem. In the conditions we have now this mold can spread rapidly. I’m hoping for a few hot dry days but not really in the forecast.

Our beautiful bean field could end up being a total train wreck. Nothing I can do about it now. Up to the good lord.

Bjrogg

Here is the first symptoms of white mold. The spores were present weeks ago. The plants have been exposed. The environment is ideal for it to spread and grow. Hopefully we have adequate control.
I’m really nervous though. I know what this disease can do.

Bjrogg

Yes I've seen that before, not good.  I'm surprised I haven't seen any in my garden since we've had well over a month of wet and cool weather.  Good for cool weather crops though.  My Turnips were excellent and my Rutabaga are huge.

[bjrogg]

Yeah Marc. It’s been some really good growing weather here. The same good growing conditions seem to bring on the disease problems.

Our seed corn companies say that the seed in our bags has the potential to produce a 500 bu. Crop. The minute we put it in the ground it's potential goes down. Always something out there that wants to eat, kill or infect it. Weather that doesn't cooperate. Nutritional problems and the list goes on. We try to control what we can and hope for 200 bu.

Here's a picture of cucumbers that were lush, green and full of blossoms just a couple weeks ago. They died off almost over night about a week ago. Just the ends of the vines are green now. I’m not sure what got them. My guess would be powdery mildew but I honestly didn't see it in them. It might be some type of seed born blight. It was very very fast. One day they were lush and green. Next yellow and then dead.
Bjrogg

[Eric Krewson]

Same thing happened to my cantaloupe patch, dead overnight just as the bulk of the cantaloupes were getting ripe. I had one good one to eat and threw away 40 or so.



My two little rows of okra produce a washtub full every couple of days, I started pickling the excess. I have to experiment, this time I made garlic, jalapino pickled okra with Walmart pickling spices and apple cider vinegar.





I put two small hills of icebox watermelons out, they surprised me and produced 15 melons.

[Pat B]

I love pickled okra. We haven't grown any in the last few years. The pickled okra chopped up fine with a little of the juice and mayo and garlic makes a very good tarter sauce for fried fish or shrimp.
 The recipe we have doesn't require a hot water bath. You bring the pickling mixture to a boil and pour it over the okra, garlic and dill seed in the jar. Let it sit 2 weeks and they are ready to eat.

[Eric Krewson]

Your tarter sauce sound easy and good. I water bath my okra just to be on the safe side, if I make a lot it may take me years to eat it all.

Years ago I experimented with different stuff to come up with a good tarter sauce recipe.

This one has been a hit at every fish fry I took it to.

1 Cup mayo
1 Tbsp mustard
2 Tsp lemon juice
½ Cup finely chopped onion
1 Tbsp chopped dill pickle
½ tsp garlic salt (¼ tsp if you don’t like garlic)
1/8 tsp black pepper

Mix ingredients and chill, makes about a pint. Will keep for months in the frig.

[osage outlaw]

Have you guys checked for vine borers?

[Marc St Louis]

Or cutworms

[bjrogg]

I guess I can’t say for sure Clint. Or Marc. I didn’t do a real lot of investigating. At first glance I thought it looked more like a disease or blight than insects. Could be wrong though. I’ve had problems with cut worms in my crops but not my raised beds. Rye cover crop is a good environment for cut worms so I am familiar with them.

Like the seed companies say. Always something.

Bjrogg

[PaulN/KS]

Been picking apples on the red delicious tree and sent a few buckets to the farmers market. Also picking the tomatoes,roma and jet star as well as the peppers,jalapeno,poblano and anaheim. Put in a row of green beans for a Fall crop and they have sprouted nicely. Went up to Oskaloosa to the sweet corn farm and got a couple dozen ears for supper tonight.
The field corn and soybeans on the farms around here are looking pretty good these days so far.

[Deerhunter21]

Yeah Marc. It’s been some really good growing weather here. The same good growing conditions seem to bring on the disease problems.

Our seed corn companies say that the seed in our bags has the potential to produce a 500 bu. Crop. The minute we put it in the ground it's potential goes down. Always something out there that wants to eat, kill or infect it. Weather that doesn't cooperate. Nutritional problems and the list goes on. We try to control what we can and hope for 200 bu.

Here's a picture of cucumbers that were lush, green and full of blossoms just a couple weeks ago. They died off almost over night about a week ago. Just the ends of the vines are green now. I’m not sure what got them. My guess would be powdery mildew but I honestly didn't see it in them. It might be some type of seed born blight. It was very very fast. One day they were lush and green. Next yellow and then dead.
Bjrogg

that just happened to me with my cantaloupe and spaghetti squash.... found balls of bugs in there.... like, masses of bugs. it was strange because they wernt traveling around the plant to eat it... they were just in one spot....

[BowEd]

It's been a good year here from the garden.
Cupboards and freezer full of goodies to last through the next year.Canned peaches/pears/salsa/version of V8 juice/grape and plum jam.Froze squash/green beans/many different types of peppers/sweet corn/and pickled beets.Still making apple sauce and pie filling from the apple tree.Popcorn and hazel nuts are drying down too.Had plenty of black raspberries from previous year.